


And You Know That For Sure

by Thistlerose



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Grief/Mourning, Married Couple, The Beatles - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-12
Updated: 2013-04-12
Packaged: 2017-12-08 06:44:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/758298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thistlerose/pseuds/Thistlerose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On December 9th, 1980, James Potter learns his place.  Written in 2004.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And You Know That For Sure

Lily had wanted him to come, but she hadn’t wanted him to feel obligated. She’d said, “It’s all right. I’ll be with my friends. Stay home with Harry. Really, this is Muggle stuff. You don’t have to come.” But Peter volunteered to watch Harry. And it wasn’t just Muggle stuff. It was so obviously Lily stuff, so of course he had to go with her. 

He felt a bit out of place standing outside that pub or whatever it was, with what looked like hundreds of Muggles (or Muggleborns, or halfbloods, he supposed), shivering in his overcoat, gripping the lit candle someone had thrust at him. But when the crowd surged for no apparent reason, and Lily was pushed against him (he got a mouthful of her hair) he realised that he was in his place after all, and stopped feeling uncomfortable.

He bent and whispered in his wife’s ear, “It doesn’t look like a cavern.”

“It’s the Cavern Club,” she whispered back. The warmth of her breath made his glasses fog up. “He played here. Years ago.”

“Oh, right,” he said, wiping his glasses with the back of his hand.

The tears, which had been flowing since she’d read the Muggle newspaper that morning, seemed to have frozen to her cheeks. He breathed over them, then kissed them gently. She shivered and clutched at him with the gloved hand that wasn’t gripping a candle.

Some of the people standing round them were Lily’s Muggle friends. James recognised a few of them from the wedding, and from other gatherings. As the night wore on, though, and became colder, Lily did not move from his side. She leaned against him, leaned into him when he lifted a hand to stroke her hair. 

It was brighter than all the candle flames, he thought, as he gathered some of the silky stuff and held it against his cheek. Cooler, but steadier. She’s a beacon.

By the time the crowd began to sing, James’ feet were so numb they felt like blocks of stone. He didn’t know the song, but the words were simple enough, even sung by a crowd, even croaked by Lily: _All you need is love…love is all you need…_

_Maybe_ , thought James. He didn’t understand Lily’s grief, but he understood her need for him and the comfort she took in his presence. That was all he needed.

6/27/2004


End file.
